Monday’s collapse of the TTC communications system Monday has left people like Andy Byford frustrated and no doubt a bit ashamed. As explained by the TTC in a written statement both the primary communication system and the backup system went down. Vehicles and trains were isolated. “The loss of radio communications between subway trains and the TTC’s transit control centre was the safety critical issue that caused the suspension of service, as trains cannot go through tunnels without being able to communicate with the control centre,” the TTC explained.. “At the same time, diagnosis and recovery, as well the ability to communicate with customers, was severely impeded by the loss of other communications systems, including e-mail, Internet and the TTC’s phone system.” This was related to a power outage Sunday night which caused the communication headquarters at the Hillcrest yards to go automatically to uninterrupted power service (UPS). Then, the critical malfunction. “A failure within the UPS caused its battery system to drain, preventing power from getting to critical communications systems.” And in the end, an unknown reason for the failure of the battery to re-charge. They don’t know why. In the wake of all this 125,000 wet commuters and demands for the spending of more money. Such are the woes of the TTC. Toronto Sun
